Fan construction



F. H. KLIE Aug. 25, 1936.

FAN CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1935 jfivemibr. 25M EZZL' Patented Aug. 25, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FAN CONSTRUCTION Frank H. Klie, Paris, Ill.

Application September 2 Claims.

This invention relates to fans of the kind held in the users hand and has for its main purpose the production of an inexpensive and simply constructed fan which is, nevertheless, strong and durable and of substantially uniform thickness, so that it may be piled and packed for shipment in minimum space.

The foregoing and other purposes are attained by the handle and blade constructions hereinafter more particularly described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, where,

Figure 1 is an elevational view of the rear face of a fan embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is an edge view;

Figure 3 is a cross section through the handle on the line 3-3 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a partial face view showing a modiflcation.

Referring to the drawing, the novel fan consists, in its preferred form, of a blade 5 and integral handle 6 made of cardboard or similar light and flexible material, the fan being such as used in many cases for carrying printed matter for advertising purposes. To reinforce the blade of the fan and provide a strong but flexible handle, there is provided a thin strip 7 of fibrous material such as wood veneer having greater strength and resiliency than the material of the fan proper. This strip has a handle portion 8 shaped to conform to the narrowed neck and the widened end portion of handle 6, both of which are rounded in outline and made sufiiciently wide and flat to afford a comfortable grip. It also has a shank portion 9 which tapers from a widened shank portion I at the junction of the fan blade and handle and is of a length to extend up on the fan blade substantially to its middle. The thin strip 1 is glued or otherwise permanently applied or secured to one face of the fan blade and handle 5, 6, and forms a unitary structure therewith. As an alternative construction, the handle portion 6 of the cardboard portion of the fan may be omitted, as shown by Figure 4, thus affording a flexible handle 8 consisting of the veneer strip only and retaining the shank 9 which reinforces the fan blade.

A fan so constructed has the usual line of breakage, usually at the junction of the handle and blade, made strong but flexible and the extension of the reinforcing strip up the center of 26, 1935, Serial No. 42,206

the fan blade serves to prevent breakage there. Also, a handle is afforded which gives a secure and hand-fitting grip, as distinguished from the straight stick type handles of the prior art, and one which will not be destroyed by absorption of hand moisture as cardboard alone would.

Accordingly, the fan, while of extremely simple and inexpensive construction, is unusually durable and comfortable to hold and being substantially flat throughout can be packaged for 10 shipment in piles or bales with the least possible waste of space. The novel use of very thin wood veneer or its equivalent for fan construction in the manner herein disclosed is, therefore, a novel and commercially important step forward in an art where economy of manufacture coupled with durability and utility are of prime importance.

What is claimed is:

1. A fan comprising a flexible cardboard blade, an integral, uniformly thin, resilient wood veneer handle and reinforcing member, meansfor securing said member to the blade, said member including a handle portion of a shape to provide a natural grip and of a width eifective to prevent turning and twisting in the hand and a reinforcing shank portion overlapping the blade and permanently secured thereto, the end of which shank portion extends past the center of pressure against the blade, said shank portion having a wide base at the junction with the handle portion adjacent the edge of the blade efiective to distribute twisting strain on the securing means and being of a gradually reduced cross section from the base to the end thereby providing resiliency and distributing bending strain on the blade.

2. A fan having a combined handle and blade formed from a single piece of thin cardboard with the handle portion of a shape to provide a natural grip and of a width effective to prevent 40 turning in the hand, and a thin strip of resilient wood veneer, co-extensive with the cardboard handle, permanently secured to one surface thereof and having a tapering shank secured on the cardboard blade with its apex located near the center of the blade, whereby said resilient wood veneer strip provides resiliency throughout its area and distributes bending strain on the blade.

FRANK H. KLIE. 

